Abstracts
Abstract
Just as they have in face-to-face courses, parents will likely play an important role in lowering online student attrition rates, but more research is needed that identifies ways parents can engage in their students’ online learning. In this research we surveyed and interviewed 12 online teachers and 12 on-site facilitators regarding their experiences and perceptions of parental engagement. Guided by the Adolescent Community of Engagement framework, our analysis found that teachers and facilitators valued parents’ engagement when parents advised students on course enrollments, nurtured relationships and communication with and between students, monitored student progress, motivated students to engage in learning activities, organized and managed students’ learning time at home, and instructed students regarding study strategies and course content when able. Teachers and facilitators also identified obstacles that parents faced when attempting to engage in their children’s online learning as well as obstacles that teachers and facilitators encountered when they attempted to support parents.
Keywords:
- online learning,
- student engagement,
- virtual schooling,
- online teachers,
- on-site facilitators,
- parental engagement
Appendices
Bibliography
- Adams Becker, S., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, C., Cummins, M., & Yuhnke, B. (2016). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2016-nmc-cosn-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf
- Alghazo, Y., & Alghazo, R. (2015). The effect of parental involvement and socioeconomic status and elementary students’ mathematics achievement. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(5), 521-527. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00952
- Al-Matalka, F. I. M. (2014). The influence of parental socioeconomic status on their involvement at home. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(5), 146-154. Retrieved from http://www.ijhssnet.com/view.php?u=http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_5_March_2014/15.pdf
- Black, E. W. (2009). An evaluation of familial involvements’ influence on student achievement in K-12 virtual schooling. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. doi: 3367406
- Borup, J. (2016). Teacher perceptions of parental engagement at a cyber high school. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48, 67-83. doi: 10.1080/15391523.2016.1146560
- Borup, J. (2018). On-site and online facilitators: Current and future direction for research. In K. Kennedy & R. Ferdig (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (2nd ed.; pp. 423-442). ETC Press. doi: 10.1184/R1/6686813
- Borup, J., Graham, C. R., & Davies, R. S. (2013). The nature of parental interaction in a virtual high school setting. American Journal of Distance Education, 27, 40-55. doi: 10.1080/08923647.2013.754271
- Borup, J., Graham, C. R., & Drysdale, J. (2014). The nature of online teacher engagement at an online high school. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45, 793-806. doi: 10.1111/bjet.12089
- Borup, J., Stevens, M., & Hasler Waters, L. (2015). Student and parent perceptions of parental engagement at an online charter high school. Online Learning, 19(5). Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/699
- Borup, J. & Stimson, R. (2019). Online teachers’ and on-site facilitators’ shared responsibilities at a supplemental virtual secondary school. American Journal of Distance Education, 33(1). doi: 10.1080/08923647.2019.1554984
- Borup, J., West, R. E., Graham, C. R., & Davies, R. (2014). The adolescent community of engagement framework: A lens for research on K-12 online learning. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 22, 107-129. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/112371/
- Cavanaugh, C., Barbour, M., Brown, R., Diamond, D., Lowes, S., Powell, A., ... Van der Molen, J. (2009). Research committee issues brief: Examining communication and interaction in online teaching. Vienna, VA: iNACOL. Retrieved from http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_QualityTeaching-lr.pdf
- Dickson, W. P. (2005). Toward a deeper understanding of student performance in virtual high school courses: Using quantitative analyses and data visualization to inform decision making. Naperville, IL: NCREL/Learning Point Associates. Retrieved from http://www.mivu.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=I5uq2DZ7Y%2BI%3D&tabid=373
- Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships. Phi Delta Kappen, 76(9). doi: 10.2307/2967352
- Evergreen Educational Group. (2017). Keeping pace with K-12 online learning 2016. Evergreen Education Group. Retrieved from http://www.kpk12.com/wp-content/uploads/EEG_KP2016-web.pdf
- Freidhoff, J. R. (2017). Michigan ’s K-12 virtual learning effectiveness report 2015-16. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Retrieved from http://media.mivu.org/institute/pdf/er_2016.pdf
- Glaser, B. G. (1965). The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Social Problems, 12(4), 436-445. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/798843
- Hasler Waters, L. (2012). Exploring the experiences of learning coaches in a cyber charter school: A qualitative case study (Doctoral dissertation, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu). Retrieved from https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/100883
- Hasler Waters, L., & Leong, P. (2014). Who is teaching? New roles for teachers and parents in cyber charter schools. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 22(1), 33-56. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/112373/
- Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (1995). Parental involvement in children’s education: Why does it make a difference? Teachers College Record, 97(2), 311-331. Retrieved from https://www.tcrecord.org/Issue.asp?volyear=1995&number=2&volume=97
- Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (2005). Final performance report for OERI Grant # R305T010673: The social context of parental involvement: A path to enhanced achievement. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/peabody/family-school/Reports.html
- Hoover-Dempsey, K. V, Walker, J. M. T., Sandler, H. M., Whetsel, D., Green, C. L., Wilkins, A. S., & Closson, K. (2005). Why do parents become involved? Research findings and implications. The elementary school journal, 106(2), 105-130. doi: 10.1086/499194
- Larkin, I. M., Brantley-Dias, L., & Lokey-Vega, A. (2015). Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention of online teachers in the K-12 setting. Online Learning, 20(3), 26-52. Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/986
- Litke, D. (1998). Virtual schooling at the middle grades: A case study résumé. The Journal of Distance Education, 13(2), 33-50. Retrieved from http://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/145/386
- Liu, F., Black, E., Algina, J., Cavanaugh, C., & Dawson, K. (2010). The validation of one parental involvement measurement in virtual schooling. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(2), 105-132. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/109414/
- McNeal, R. B. (2012). Checking in or checking out? Investigating the parent involvement reactive hypothesis. Journal of Educational Research, 105(2), 79-89. doi: 10.1080/00220671.2010.519410
- Michigan Public Act No. 60. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.legislature.mi.gov/docu- ments/2013-2014/publicact/htm/2013-PA-0060.htm
- Michigan Virtual. (2017). Parent guide to online learning (5th ed.). Retrieved from https://mvlri.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/parentguide_508.pdf
- Murphy, R., Snow, E., Mislevy, J., Gallagher, L., Krumm, A., & Wei, X. (2014). Blended learning report. Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Retrieved from https://1k8hc03ylh05464h1122sxwb-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MSDF-Blended-Learning-Report-May-2014.pdf
- Oviatt, D. R., Graham, C. R., Borup, J., & Davies, R. S. (2018). Online student use of a proximate community of engagement in an independent study program. Online Learning, 22(1), 223-251. doi: 10.24059/olj.v22i1.1153
- Patrick, S., Kennedy, K., & Powell, A. (2013). Mean what you say: Defining and integrating personalized, blended, and competency education. International Association for K-12 Online Learning. Retrieved from http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mean-what-you-say.pdf
- Rice, M. F., & Carter, R. A. (2016). Online teacher work to support self-regulation of learning in students with disabilities at a fully online state virtual school. Online Learning, 20(4), 118-135. Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/1054
- Roblyer, M. D., Freeman, J., Stabler, M., & Schneidmiler, J. (2007). External evaluation of the Alabama ACCESS initiative phase 3 report. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from http://accessdl.state.al.us/2006Evaluation.pdf
- Rose, R. M., Smith, A., Johnson, K., & Glick, D. (2015). Ensuring equitable access in online and blended learning. In T. Clark & M. K. Barbour (Eds.), Online, blended, and distance education in schools: Building successful programs (pp. 71-83). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
- Wilder, S. (2014). Effects of parental involvement on academic achievement: A meta-synthesis. Educational Review, 66(3), 377-397. doi: 10.1080/00131911.2013.780009
- Wolcott, H. F. (1994). Transformative qualitative data: Description, analysis, and interpretation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Zhang, H., & Almeroth, K. (2010). Moodog: Tracking student activity in online course management systems. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(3), 407-429. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/32307/